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N. PETERS. PHOTD uTHOGHAPMER wwnmGToN D C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEO. WOOD AND JOI-IN KING, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THEM- SELVES AND lVM. LAVRENCE, OF SAME PLAGE.

DREI) GINGr-CRANE.

To all whom it ma/ z/ concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE WOOD and JOHN KING, of the city and county of Philadelphia. and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Dredging-Crane; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Our invention relates to appliances for dredging' for oysters, or for coal, or other sunken cargoes; and our invention consists in a certain combination of a post with a pulley on the top, a jib with two pulleys, and a barrel and clutch, the whole being arranged for joint action on the deck of a ves sel in the manner fully described hereafter, and forming a crane for facilitating the Operation of dredging', and dispensing with the usual manual exertion, required in the ordinary mode of performing that operation.

Our invention also includes a peculiar manner, described hereafter, of hanging the pulley to the end of the jib, whereby all straining and fraying of the rope, used in connection with the dredging instrument is avoided.

In order to enable others to make and use our invention, we will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying drawing, Figure l, is a sectional view of a portion of a vessel, with two of our improved dredging cranes attached to the deck. Fig. 2, a ground plan. Fig. 3, a View, representing the end of the jib of the crane.

A and A areV portions of the sides of a vessel, B the deck, C and C the opposite rails, and D' and D the posts of the two cranes, secured firmly to the deck, and having an ordinary sheave or pulley a hung to the top of each post. The jib E of each crane is jointed to the post near the deck, the outer end of the jib projecting a convenient distance over the side of the vessel, and arranged to rest on the rail during the process of dredging, two chocks o, o, secured to the top of the rail, one on each side of the jib, serving to maintain the latter in its proper position, and to resist any lateral strain which may be imparted to it. In the end of each jib, and in a line longitudinally with the same, is a circular opening, serving as a socket for the reception of the hollow stem of the carrier F. The two lanches e, e, project downward from, and form a part of this carrier, and between these a pulley G is hung loosely. On the jib E is hung another pulley I-I, in such a position, that a line, drawn from its under edge to the upper edge of the pulley G, coincides longitudinally with the center of the hollow stem of the carrier F. On the deck, between the posts of the two cranes, are secured the two standards I, I, in the top of which turns a shaft J, and, on the latter, the two barrels K and K are arranged to turn freely, when not in gear with the clutch M. This clutch is situated between the two barrels, and may be slid along the shaft by the lever N on the pillar P, but is incapable of turning independently of the shaft. The clutch has projections, arranged to catch in the projections on the inner ends of the barrels. The shaft J may be turned by the handles Q, or by any other equivalent driving appliances.

In dredging for oysters, or for coal, or for portions of sunken cargoes, it has been hitherto customary to throw the dredging instrument over the side of the vessel, and to make fast the chain or rope, to which the instrument is attached. The vessel is allowed to sail in the direction, which the dredging apparatus is required to traverse, and, when suliicient of the objects sought for are supposed to be collected, the apparatus is hauled up the side of the vessel, lifted over the rail and its contents deposited on the deck, the whole being accomplished by hand, without the aid of mechanism. This operation, as will be readily seen, is most tedious, and requires much muscular exertion on the part of the operatives engaged in it. It is for the purpose of lessening this labor, and for facilitating generally the process of dredging, that our improvements have been especially designed.

From each barrel, a rope or chainR passes over the pulley a, under the pulley H, thence, through the hollow stem of the carrier F, over the pulley Gr, and down to the dredging instrument.

During the operation of dredging, the jib rests on the rail, and is there retained in its proper lateral position by the chocks c, c. As the vessel is sailing ahead the portion of the rope R, which hangs over the side of the vessel, will assume an angle, as seen in Fig. 3. As the stem of the carrier F, however, can turn in the socket at the end of the jib, the pulley G Will adjust itself to any angle assumed by the rope, after the manner of the roller of an ordinary furniture caster, the free movement of the rope being unaffected by any alteration of the position of the pulley, and being free from any liability of becoming frayed or strained, an evil to which it Would be subjected by the use of the permanent pulley of ordinary hoisting tackle.

lVhen the dredging instrument has collected the desired amount of oysters or other objects sought for, the clutch M is moved into gear with one of the barrels, the shaft J being turned by the handles g until the dredging` instrument with its load is hoisted above the Water, and catches the underside of the pulley G. The jib With its load then begins to rise, until it assumes the position illustrated in the drawing, the dredging instrument hanging immediately above the deck, onto which the load is emptied. The clutch M is then thrown out of gear With the barrel, and the rope R, being unrestrained, allows the jib to fall to its former position on the rail, and the dredging instrument to sink to the bottom, when the above described operation is repeated.

Although We prefer tWo cranes and tWo barrels secured to the deck of the vessel, a single crane and one barrel only may be used to advantage.

'Vithout claiming broadly the elevating jib E, as hinged to the post of the crane, such a device having been heretofore used in connection with hoisting apparatus, We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

l. The post D With its pulley a, the jib E with its pulleys G and H, and the barrel With its clutch M, when arranged for joint action on the deck of the vessel substantially as, and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The carrier F with its pulley G and its hollow stem, as arranged to turn in the socket in the end of the jib, in the manner and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof, We have signed our names to this specification before tivo subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE WOOD. JOHN KING. Witnesses:

HENRY I-IowsoN, CHARLES D. FREEMAN. 

